Scottish Executive

Central Heating

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for grants under the central heating installation programme have been rejected on the basis that (a) failed heating systems required to be replaced immediately before any grant could be approved and (b) applicants had not been aware of their eligibility for the central heating installation programme when installing systems, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of rejected applications.

Hugh Henry: The information requested is not collected.

Child Welfare

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to the police in regard to abuse of children through prostitution.

Mr Jim Wallace: It is for Chief Constables to decide how best to tackle operational issues taking account of local guidance and also local needs and circumstances. Forces know the importance of using experienced interviewing officers and of developing in-force training, with the purpose of providing an atmosphere of care and concern, and will seek to ensure that victims of child prostitution are treated with tact and sympathy. While the Executive has not issued specific guidance to the police in this area, a working group chaired by the Scottish Executive is currently considering issues relating to young runaways and children abused through prostitution.

Child Welfare

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures should be followed by the police when they are informed that there may be children working as prostitutes in their area.

Mr Jim Wallace: Children should not be involved in prostitution and it is important that proper prevention, protection and re-integration strategies are in place to deal with this where it occurs. Children do not enter prostitution willingly. Their involvement is usually the result of coercion or deception. The police fully recognise that those who are responsible for the abuse and coercion of children in this way should be rigorously investigated and prosecuted. It is for individual Chief Constables to decide how best to tackle any operational issues, taking account of local needs and circumstances. A working group chaired by the Scottish Executive is currently considering issues relating to young runaways and children abused through prostitution.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25552 by Mr Jim Wallace on 15 May 2002, on what date each application was lodged in each year from 1990 to date; how many hearings were held in each year for each such application; how many such hearings were adjourned in each year, and what the reasons were for each such adjournment.

Mr Jim Wallace: This is a matter for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. The information requested is not held centrally.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25553 by Mr Jim Wallace on 15 May 2002, what the reasons were for each adjournment of a hearing under the (a) non-statutory Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and (b) 1996 Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Mr Jim Wallace: This is a matter for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and Appeals Panel. The information requested is not held centrally.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures will be put in place to ensure that dental practices remain in locations which are convenient to patients whilst meeting health and safety and disability access requirements.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: On 3 June I announced a £3 million investment to fund improvements to dental practice premises and facilities which will improve patient safety and access and address the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. This is additional to the £4.3 million the Executive made available for practice improvements during the previous two financial years.

  The new "Golden Hello" package which will be introduced on 1 August includes grants of up to £10,000, based on the amount of NHS work they undertake, to dentists establishing new vocational training practices and offering a training place. Vocational training surgeries must be built and equipped to high standards and must comply with all health and safety requirements.

  Grants are available under the Scottish Dental Access Initiative to dentists wishing to locate new practices or expand existing practices in areas of unmet patient demand and high oral health need.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to enable dental practices to introduce fully computerised records systems in their premises.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: There is no direct financial assistance for general dental practices to install computerised records systems. Dentists who wish to transmit their dental claims to the Common Services Agency for the NHS in Scotland via electronic data interchange can receive a grant of £700.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of dental practices in each NHS board area no longer take NHS patients.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Information on private dental practices which take no NHS patients is not available. We are aware that there are problems with access to NHS dentistry in some parts of Scotland. That is why I announced a £1 million "Golden Hello" package on 25 April to assist with access problems and with recruitment and retention of NHS dentists.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to dental practices to enable them to meet infection control and new regulatory standards.

Malcolm Chisholm: Funding of infection control procedures are incorporated in the fee scale system where dentists receive payments for each item of service given on each patient. The British Dental Association Advice Sheet "Infection Control in Dentistry" is used as the model of good practice in primary care dental practices.

  Over the last three years the Executive has given improvement grants to general dental practices. These are for purposes of patient safety and access and to address the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. The sums involved are:

  


2000-01


£0.5 million




2001-02


£3.8 million




2002-03


£3 million




  This has enabled practitioners to make improvements to dental practices and ensure they are fit for purpose.

Digital Technology

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Schools Digital Network will be up and running.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive aims to conclude the process of consultation with local authorities and other stakeholders during the summer 2002 and intends to place an OJEC advert for the Scottish Schools Digital Network during the second half of 2002. We aim to have a point of presence for the national schools interconnect and initial Intranet services available in every education authority by the end of 2004, with further development of the intranet services continuing beyond that point.

  Connections to individual schools from the interconnect will be taken forward as part of the overall Executive broadband strategy, informed by the pathfinder projects currently being developed in Highlands and Islands and South of Scotland.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what services it provides for people with disabilities who are suffering domestic abuse.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive does not provide direct services to women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provides for services which cater for people with disabilities who are suffering domestic abuse.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive, through Communities Scotland, is currently funding 13 projects under the three-year £10 million Refuge Development Programme. All projects contain proposals to provide access to refuge provision for women and children with disabilities.

  In 2000-01 the Executive provided capital grant of £462,500 to improve disabled access to 18 Women's Aid refuges and/or offices.

  The Executive funds the Domestic Abuse Helpline and in June 2002 provided £2,850 to install a text phone service for hearing impaired people.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out into the prevalence of domestic abuse amongst people with disabilities.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive has commissioned a number of domestic abuse related research projects but none specifically into the prevalence of domestic abuse amongst people with disabilities.

  The Scottish Executive's National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse and its associated Action Plan, which were published in November 2000, provide a comprehensive and wide-ranging strategy that involves a number of policy areas. The strategy is an inclusive one and embraces and recognises the specific needs of different categories of victims including people with disabilities. A budget of £4.5 million was allocated over three years to assist in the implementation of the Action Plan.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out into the prevalence of domestic abuse amongst pregnant women.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) report on Domestic Violence (1997) gave an overview of research, which shows that women are more likely to report domestic abuse during pregnancy and that the majority experience repeated acts of violence. The research also indicates that domestic abuse increases in severity and frequency during pregnancy and is directed both at the mother and at the foetus.

  The Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the UK (2001) report Why Mothers Die 1997-1999 was jointly commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer of the Scottish Executive Health Department, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for Northern Ireland. The report indicates that about 30% of domestic violence starts during pregnancy. It states that of the 378 women whose deaths were reported between 1997-99, 45 (12%) voluntarily reported violence during pregnancy to a health care professional.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training is received by midwives in relation to domestic abuse.

Malcolm Chisholm: Audit of NHS Board strategies for maternity services indicates that 11 NHS boards provide post qualifying training on domestic abuse, one was considering developing a training programme and in another analysis of midwives' training needs was under way. Of the remaining NHS boards, one has a domestic abuse strategy in place and one has not as yet indicated their position on domestic abuse training. Several NHS Boards refer to multi-agency working to tackle domestic abuse.

  National guidelines for health care workers on responding to domestic abuse, shortly to be issued for public consultation, recommend that education and training on domestic abuse be available to all health service staff.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what schools participated in last year's Programme for International Student Assessment.

Nicol Stephen: We do not make public the identity of subjects and organisations that take part in Scottish Executive commissioned research without first obtaining their consent. We do not have this consent from the schools that took part in the Programme for International Student Assessment. Assurance about anonymity is normally important in securing continued co-operation for research projects. The random stratified sampling procedure used by the contractors who carried out this study for the Scottish Executive ensured that the sample was representative and that it contained schools of varying sizes.

Environment

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) provided all relevant scientific evidence to the community of Barra in relation to the proposed designation of the Sound of Barra as a special area of conservation; whether, in determining whether SNH made full disclosure in such a case, it relies solely on information obtained from that body; whether it has established, or will establish, an inquiry into this matter involving the local community in Barra and elected representatives; if no such inquiry will be held, what action will be taken in order to address concerns expressed by the community to the Parliament's Public Petitions Committee on 26 February 2002, and what steps it will take in order to ensure that SNH fully discloses relevant evidence to communities in respect of any proposed designation of an area as being in any way of scientific or environmental interest.

Allan Wilson: As is its standard practice, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) provided consultees, including community representatives, with all the scientific evidence relevant to the selection of the Sound of Barra as a possible Special Area of Conservation during it's consultation between September and December 2000.

  I have no evidence that SNH has withheld any of the relevant information. SNH has also firmly refuted the allegation in its submission to the Petitions Committee.

  Information in support of site designation was provided on request by the Sea Mammal Research Unit. Additional information on SMRU's 2000 seal count was made freely accessible by SNH to interested parties on request as it became available. I understand that there was one such request and that the information was provided by SNH in response to this request.

  The Scottish Executive has responded to the Public Petitions Committee's request for information, and has no plans to instigate an inquiry into this matter.

Europe

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25090 by Mr Jim Wallace on 30 April 2002, whether meetings of one working group held on consecutive days are counted as continued meetings or as separate meetings.

Mr Jim Wallace: Whether the Council working group meetings are determined as continued meetings or separate meetings depends upon the meeting in question. If a meeting runs over two days and deals with the same topic on both days it would be considered to be the same meeting. However, in other cases different meetings on consecutive days come under the same generic topic but could actually be different working groups on each day (or indeed on the same day). These would be considered to be separate meetings.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it plans to take following the European Commission's support for the introduction of total allowable catch limits for deep water species and whether it plans to make representations against this decision.

Ross Finnie: At the meeting of the Council of Ministers on 11 June, it was decided that total allowable catches will be adopted for some deep sea species. It was also agreed that a permit system should be introduced for vessels landing deep sea species. Some details of the permit arrangements, based on technical information, remain to be settled in the Management Committee. These include the amounts of deep water species, per trip and per year, that vessels ought to be allowed to catch and retain on board, tranship or load, without having to have a permit. The UK will participate fully in these discussions, as well as preparing to return to the substantive issues in the review of the management of deep-water species envisaged for 2005.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a scientific case was presented by the European Commission to support its change of policy over the regulation of the deep water fishery off Scotland's west coast.

Ross Finnie: No.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it received any prior warning that the European Commission would support the introduction of total allowable catch limits as a means of regulating the deep water fishery and whether it will give details of the sequence of events leading to the decision at the recent European Fisheries Council in respect of the regulation of the deep water fishery.

Ross Finnie: The Commission's proposals for the management of the deep water fishery involved both total allowable catches and licensing (effort control). On 6 June, the Council Secretariat circulated the Spanish Presidency compromise proposal for discussion at the Council on 11 June. This also included both elements. On 10 June, Commissioner Fischler said publicly in London that he would not support the Presidency's compromise. On 11 June, during the Council meeting, the Presidency produced a further compromise proposal containing minor changes. The Commission decided to support this further compromise. The Commissioner did not give us any forewarning, though of course the UK was always aware that Commission support for a compromise solution could enable that solution to be adopted by qualified majority. The UK maintained its opposition because we did not think the changes made the proposal any less unacceptable.

Genetically Modified Crops

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether groundwater contamination could occur as a result of genetically modified crop trials.

Ross Finnie: The herbicide which is used in association with the GM herbicide-tolerant oilseed rape growing in Scottish farm scale evaluations has been approved for use by the pesticide regulatory authorities. The potential impact on water resources (both surface and groundwater) was a key consideration of the approval process which led me to conclude that there is unlikely to be an impact upon groundwater.

Health

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22746 by Nicol Stephen on 19 February 2002, what the outcome was of its enquiries into the progress made by the NHS boards and education authorities in respect of the guidance on the administration of medicines in schools.

Nicol Stephen: My officials wrote to Directors of Education on 14 March asking them to complete and return a questionnaire indicating the progress which has been made within their respective areas on the implementation of the guidance on the administration of medicines in schools. The responses are currently being evaluated and a summary will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre in due course.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people over the age of 75 had to be re-admitted to hospital within 28 days of being discharged (a) nationally and (b) in each NHS Trust, in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on and methods of calculating emergency readmission rates has been under consideration by a sub-group of the NHSScotland Clinical Resource and Audit Group (CRAG). A report containing data on emergency re-admissions at all ages will be provided as part of the next Clinical Outcome Indicators Report, scheduled for publication on 16 July 2002. I will write to you thereafter with an age-related analysis of the data.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost to the NHS has been for each of the most common diagnostic groups in each year from 1996 to date, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information regarding activity and costs is not currently collated across sectors in a disease programme manner. Existing acute activity can be translated into Healthcare Resource Groups by the Information and Statistics Division, which allows activity groupings into main disease groups such as cancer and coronary heart disease. However, nothing similar can currently be done with information relating to services carried out in the community or primary care settings. A National Steering Group is currently being established which will look at developing a whole system approach to this, with a view of identifying activity, and costs, in recognised disease profiles.

Housing

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the number of affordable homes built in the last 12 months.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive holds information on the number of new dwellings which are completed each quarter for local authority, housing association and private sector landlords. The information is available for each local authority area.

  Information is currently available up to the end of September 2001. Figures for the latest quarter July-September 2001 were published in Table 8 of the Scottish Executive Quarterly Housing Trends Bulletin HSG/2002/1. Figures for the first two quarters of 2001, and for the full 12 months of 2000 were set out in Table 8 of earlier bulletins. All bulletins are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

  


Period


Bulletin Number


Publication Date


Bib. Number




July-Sep 2001


HSG/2002/1


26 March 2002


20348




Apr-June 2001


HSG/2001/6


18 December 2001


18220




Jan-Mar 2001


HSG/2001/4


27September 2001


16396




Jan-Dec 2000


HSG/2001/2


26 June 2001


20891

Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact of the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill would be on the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes to Scots law would be required if the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill becomes law.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the compatability of the terms of the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill with its aims to eradicate poverty and promote social inclusion.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill proposes that, in certain circumstances, there should be a change in entitlement to housing benefit, which is a reserved matter. The Department for Work and Pensions is currently considering the amendments it wishes to propose to the bill and I and my officials are in active discussion with the department with the aim of ensuring that the bill in its final form will be consistent with the approach in Scotland on any devolved matters which may be affected by the implementation of the bill.

Justice

Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any steps can be taken to ensure that judgements are based on the evidence available to the court in light of the case at Haddington Sheriff Court involving Mr William Bayley.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Judiciary are independent of Ministers and it is not open to the Scottish Executive to intervene in the conduct of cases.

Justice

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what processes are in place to allow security-tagged offenders to move home.

Mr Jim Wallace: Section 245E of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 allows for an offender to apply to the court for a review of a Restriction of Liberty Order. In considering an application for review the court will take into account any information about the proposed new address, including the views of those affected by the enforced presence of the offender.

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken or commissioned any research into the likely effect on salmon fishings of the existence of the provisions to acquire salmon fishings compulsorily in Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill and, if so, whether it will publish this research.

Ross Finnie: No such research has been undertaken or commissioned by the Scottish Executive nor do we believe such research is needed. We are satisfied that any temporary uncertainties created by those who oppose the legislation will be resolved once the legislation is enacted. Once the minimal risks to owners are properly understood, the market will ensure that there is no long-term impact.

Lifelong Learning

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the next annual progress report on the Scottish National Grid for Learning strategy.

Nicol Stephen: We plan to publish the next progress report by autumn 2002.

Medical Research

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the testing of pesticides on human beings undertaken in Scotland on behalf of Bayer.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive does not hold information of this type. This is essentially a matter for the company, the researchers and the individual volunteers involved in the study.

  The Bayer company has, however, confirmed that eight adult volunteers were exposed to the pesticide azinphos methyl in a laboratory study designed to determine the "no adverse effects level" for this material by looking for short-term changes in cholinesterase activity. The study was carried out in Scotland by a contract research organisation and was overseen by an independent ethics committee.

Medical Research

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what long-term health monitoring is being undertaken on the people who took part in the pesticide testing carried out on behalf of Bayer.

Malcolm Chisholm: I understand that this question relates to a study carried out by a contract research organisation in Scotland in which eight healthy adult volunteers were exposed to the organophosphate pesticide azinphos methyl. The study was based on an "ascending-dose protocol" wherein the dose to volunteers was increased from very low levels to those at which the first signs of changes in acetylcholinesterase were observable. It was overseen by an independent ethics committee.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support is being given to assist people with mental health problems to stop smoking.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: People with mental health problems may be referred to local smoking cessation services which should provide motivational support. Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Zyban are also available on prescription. In addition a smoking cessation "pathway" for patients has recently been established in the State Hospital at Carstairs.

  The Executive is aware that people with mental health problems may need additional help to enable them to stop smoking. ASH (Scotland) and HEBS are presently working up proposals to pilot smoking cessation services specifically for people with mental health problems who wish to quit.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency have made to it on the issuing of advice and guidance to people with mental illness and their fitness to drive.

Lewis Macdonald: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has made no such representations. The agency's publication At a Glance Guide to the Current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive is issued to all General Practitioners and provides advice about the relevance of certain medical conditions, including mental illness, to driving. It is also available on the agency's website at www.dvla.gov.uk .

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients at the State Hospital, Carstairs, have been assessed as "ready to leave" but are unable to do so due to a lack of medium secure units.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to enable patients at the State Hospital, Carstairs, to move to an appropriate care and treatment regime in a medium secure unit.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what rights patients at the State Hospital, Carstairs, have to receive the appropriate care according to assessments done in the hospital.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average length of time is that a patient at the State Hospital, Carstairs, needs to wait for a placement in a medium secure unit in each NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: As at 31 May 2002, there were 38 patients approved for transfer to alternative care. 31 had waited more than three months since clinical agreement had been reached. Given that individual recommendations must be considered in each case, information on average length of wait for a transfer is not routinely collected.

  The policy on the care and treatment of mentally disordered offenders remains as set out in Management Executive Letter 1999(5), the key objective of which is that patients receive care and treatment appropriate to their needs, taking into account the safety consideration.

  A range of provision is proposed including the State Hospital and the existing and planned local forensic psychiatric accommodation and services. NHS Boards are at different implementation stages with a local forensic unit already established in Edinburgh and a planning application lodged in Glasgow. Plans are also being developed for other units and services in line with the published policy.

  State Hospital patients are entitled to access the full range of services provided by the Hospital according to their clinical needs, which are assessed on a regular basis. Movement of patients between care settings is a matter for clinical decision involving the referring and receiving clinical teams. Once agreed, individual transfers can take time depending on the arrangement to be put in place at the receiving facility or service. Patients who are the subject of an agreed transfer but for whom a place cannot immediately be arranged will of course continue to receive care within the State Hospital.

Ministerial Events

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive who has been invited to the question and answer event with the First Minister in Dumfries on 17 June 2002; what organisation each represents, and how each was selected.

Mr Andy Kerr: The event was organised by the Scottish Executive in co-operation with Dumfries and Galloway Council. The council proposed to us a list of some 50 representatives of local groups and invitations were sent to them, as well as to a group of senior schoolchildren. I will send the list of those invited and the organisation they represent to the member and make it available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

Parliamentary Business

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will clarify under what circumstances it considers it justified not to make a minister available to participate in a Members' Business debate.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: Ministers make every effort to participate in Members' Business debates on subjects for which the Executive is responsible. The Executive may exceptionally conclude that it would not be appropriate in the particular circumstances for a minister to participate. In those cases, ministers would explain clearly why such a decision had been taken.

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of special constables was female in each police force at 31 March 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: The percentages of female special constables in each police force at 31 March 2002 are shown in the following table.

  


Force


Percentage of Female Special Constables




Central


29%




Dumfries & Galloway


39%




Fife


28%




Grampian


21%




Lothian & Borders


27%




Northern


30%




Strathclyde


25%




Tayside


25%




Total


27%

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of special constables was from ethnic minority groups in each police force at 31 March 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: The percentages of special constables from ethnic minority groups in each police force at 31 March 2002 are shown in the following table.

  


Force


Percentage of Special Constables from Ethnic 
  Minority Groups




Central


0%




Dumfries & Galloway


2%




Fife


2%




Grampian


1%




Lothian & Borders


2%




Northern


0%




Strathclyde


3%




Tayside


0%




Total


1.3%

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many special constables were recruited in each police force in each year since the establishment of the Parliament; how many such constables were female, and how many were from ethnic minority groups.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information, relating to financial years, is shown in the following tables.

  Recruitment of Special Constables

  1999-2000

  


Force


Total


Female


Ethnic Minority




Central


8


3


0




Dumfries & Galloway


12


6


1




Fife


11


5


0




Grampian


19


7


0




Lothian & Borders


23


8


1




Northern


24


13


1




Strathclyde


89


27


3




Tayside


10


4


0




Total


196


73


6



 
 
 
 



2000-01

 
 
 



Force


Total


Female


Ethnic Minority




Central


7


1


0




Dumfries & Galloway


10


5


0




Fife


20


7


1




Grampian


12


6


0




Lothian & Borders


19


5


3




Northern


10


5


1




Strathclyde


54


18


1




Tayside


13


6


0




Total


145


53


6



 
 
 
 



Recruitment of Special Constables

 
 



2001-02

 
 
 



Force


Total


Female


Ethnic Minority




Central


26


13


0




Dumfries & Galloway


7


3


1




Fife


7


2


0




Grampian


12


3


1




Lothian & Borders


0


0


0




Northern


8


3


0




Strathclyde


32


17


1




Tayside


14


5


1




Total


106


46


4




  Source: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Annual Statistical Return for 2001-02.

Post Office

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to develop and the role and functions of sub-post offices in rural and deprived urban areas.

Allan Wilson: Consignia, post offices and postal services are reserved matters. The Executive can only assist post offices to achieve devolved purposes.

  The Scottish National Rural Partnership's Report Services in Rural Scotland identified innovative approaches to service provision in rural areas and offered recommendations on how providers, including Consignia, might work with rural communities to identify and achieve their realistic service needs. In response to a recommendation, the Executive is facilitating meetings exploring the possibility of a joint pilot project involving Consignia and other service providers to test the "Community Mall" concept, which, it is envisaged, would improve the economic viability of core services.

  As part of a broad strategy aimed at providing support for communities in deprived urban areas, ministers are currently considering ways in which post offices located in these areas might be assisted. I will provide further details of this initiative shortly.

  The pilot of "Your Guide", a project which may have an impact on post offices including those in rural and deprived urban areas, was undertaken in Leicestershire and Rutland. Its purpose is to provide on a one stop shop basis, access to customers for a range of official transactions, information and advice. This is largely delivered through kiosk based applications supplemented by leaflets, telephone helplines and face to face contact. An interim report has been published and this is being evaluated by Scottish Executive officials. A final report is expected in the near future. The Scottish Executive is continuing to work closely with the Department of Trade and Industry and Consignia in relation to the possibility of a national roll out of the project.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will state, for each new-build houseblock development by the Scottish Prison Service in the last twenty years, the number of prisoner places, the other facilities included, the length of time taken to complete the block, any delays in completion and the reason for them, and the cost at March 2001 prices.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The new-build houseblock accommodation constructed in existing prisons in the last 20 years has been at HM Prison Greenock and HM Prison Edinburgh, which were completed in 1995 and 1998 respectively.

  


 


HMP Greenock


HMP Edinburgh




No of prisoner places


60


125




Other facilities included


None



Fitness Rooms
Medical Consulting Rm., Kitchen/Serveries




Time taken to complete


12 months


12 months




Delays in completion


None


6 weeks




Reason for delays


None


Sub-contractor




Construction Cost at March 2001 prices


£3.2 million



£7.7 million

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, whether it will provide a breakdown of the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock under section 2.4(d) showing the number and degree of instances of failure to deliver the required structured activity hours for sentenced prisoners for each year of operation.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The answer given to question S1W-25569 was based on the requirements of measure 2.4 (d) not having been met on nine occasions in Year 1; 25 occasions in Year 2, and 46 occasions in Year 3.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24974 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, how much the operational costs are of the shared cost of Scottish Prison Service Headquarters and the Scottish Prison Service College, showing (a) the total in real cash terms and (b) cashflow over the period of the public sector comparator.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is as follows:

  (a)

  


 


(£000)




Total


48,900




  (b)

  


Year


PSC




Comparison
(£000)




1


0




2


0




3


1,835




4


1,844




5


1,853




6


1,863




7


1,873




8


1,882




9


1,892




10


1,902




11


1,912




12


1,922




13


1,933




14


1,943




15


1,953




16


1,964




17


1,975




18


1,985




19


1,996




20


2,007




21


2,018




22


2,029




23


2,041




24


2,052




25


2,064




26


2,075




27


2,087

Road Accidents

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road traffic accidents there were on (a) the A725 and (b) the A71 in (i) 2000 and (ii) 2001 in each local authority area and how many fatalities and serious injuries there were in each case.

Lewis Macdonald: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured: they do not cover damage only accidents.

  The table gives the numbers of road accidents which were identified in the STATS 19 returns as occurring on (a) the A725 and (b) the A71 in the specified years, and the associated fatalities and serious casualties. The information is broken down by local authority area.

  It should be noted that the statistics given in the table are based upon the data which are held in the central statistical database and which were collected by the police at the time of the accident and subsequently reported to the Executive. They may differ from any figures which the local authorities would provide now, because they do not take account of any subsequent changes or corrections that local authorities may have made to the statistical information, for use at local level, about the location of each accident, based upon their knowledge of the roads and areas concerned.

  (a) Injury road accidents occurring on the A725, and the associated numbers of fatalities and seriously injured casualties, as reported in the "STATS 19" statistical returns.

  


Local Authority


Year


Injury road accidents


Fatalities


Seriously-injured casualties




North Lanarkshire


2000


41


0


15




2001


43


1


6




South Lanarkshire


2000


58


0


17




2001


44


0


5




of which:
on that part of the A725 which is a trunk road -




North Lanarkshire


2000


8


0


8




2001


2


1


1




South Lanarkshire


2000


58


0


17




2001


44


0


5




  (b) Injury road accidents occurring on the A71, and the associated numbers of fatalities and seriously-injured casualties, as reported in the STATS 19 statistical returns.

  


Local Authority


Year


Injury road accidents


Fatalities


Seriously-injured casualties




Edinburgh


2000


62


1


12




2001


43


0


5




West Lothian


2000


20


0


5




2001


30


1


2




North Lanarkshire


2000


14


1


4




2001


24


0


4




South Lanarkshire


2000


31


2


9




2001


20


1


3




East Ayrshire


2000


30


1


7




2001


33


3


11




North Ayrshire


2000


6


0


3




2001


2


0


0

Schools

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what priority it gives in its education budget to providing sprung flooring for school halls and gymnasiums.

Nicol Stephen: The annual allocation to local authorities of consent to incur capital expenditure is a general consent for expenditure on their non-housing capital programmes, including education. The consent is distributed amongst authorities on the basis of a formula agreed with COSLA, and is neither programme nor project specific. Within that framework, it is for the authorities to specify the materials to be used for particular school building projects and purposes.

Scottish Executive Staff

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25832 by Mr Andy Kerr on 21 May 2002, whether staff requiring to make mortgage repayments after the age of 60, where it or the former Scottish Office provided financial information and employment status to the lender, will meet the criteria for retention on a year-on-year basis, detailing the reasons for its position on this matter.

Mr Andy Kerr: Yes, provided their performance, conduct and attendance has been satisfactory and there is a post available. This is applicable to all staff for whom the Executive has delegated authority.

Transport

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the status is in Scotland of Lord Birt's report to the Prime Minister on transport issues.

Lewis Macdonald: Lord Birt's work is internal advice to the UK Government. As such, it fully respects the devolution settlement and the UK Government has assured us that his work will not make recommendations affecting Scotland on devolved matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Executive.

Vehicle Licensing

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made concerning legislation on radio base licensing for taxi and private hire radio bases.

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25774 on 24 May 2002.

War Crimes

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it holds information on the names and addresses of residents who were victims of the Nazi regime in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

Colin Boyd QC: The Scottish Executive does not hold this information.